By Chisomo Phiri
Eyewitness Ephraim Duma on Tuesday, September,15,2026,told the Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee investigating the 2024 Chikangawa plane crash that he saw the late Vice-President Saulos Chilima standing at the aircraft’s door, shouting and appearing to seek help shortly before the plane crashed.
Duma, who was travelling from Ekwendeni in Mzimba to Lilongwe on June 10, 2024, after going there to buy a motorcycle, said he and two other people began following the aircraft after noticing that something appeared to be wrong.
Duma testifying
He said he saw the aircraft flying unusually low and later saw Chilima at the door.
According to the eyewitness, Chilima was wearing a black suit and a red tie and appeared to be trying to get out of the aircraft.
However, Duma said Chilima also appeared to be pulled back inside.
He said he could not clearly hear what Chilima was saying because of the noise from the aircraft, but his gestures and shouting appeared to indicate that he was asking for help.
Duma said he and his companions initially thought the aircraft might be on fire, although he acknowledged that they had not actually seen flames.
He said they therefore decided to follow it, first on motorcycles and later on foot after losing sight of the aircraft because of the mountain and fog.
Duma told the committee that the aircraft appeared to stop in mid-air, at a height he estimated to be about two metres above the ground, before continuing its movement.
He said he does not understand the technical aspects of aircraft operation but insisted that this was what he personally witnessed.
Duma said they eventually reached the area where the aircraft crashed after travelling from the M1 road onto a dirt road and later climbing a hill.
He estimated that the journey from the main road to the crash site was less than one kilometre, while the section they covered on foot took about 12 to 15 minutes.
At the crash site, the eyewitness said he saw two people who appeared to have survived emerge from the aircraft,one wearing a black suit and another in military uniform.
He also claimed that several other people were thrown from the aircraft and appeared lifeless.
Duma further alleged that there were more than 10 people at the crash site, including people in military uniforms and others wearing overalls.
He said after the people saw him and his companions, they began chasing them while gunshots were fired.
Duma told the committee that one of his companions was shot and disappeared, while he himself was shot three times in the back.
He claimed that the bullets did not penetrate his body because he previously undergone traditional preparations intended to protect him from guns and knives.
Duma linked the preparations to his former ambition to become a traditional chief, saying his uncles took him to people who performed rituals intended to make him resistant to weapons.
He said although his younger brother eventually became chief, he believes the preparations helped him survive the shooting.
His claim prompted laughter among some committee members.
Dedza Kasina legislator Joshua Malango asked Duma whether the committee should test his claim by shooting him to establish whether the protection still works.
Duma responded that the committee can try, although he was unsure whether the protection remain effective.
Committee members continued to question him about the claim, with committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu joking about whether Duma might have lost his alleged powers.
Duma said after hearing the gunshots, he lost consciousness and later regained awareness on the morning of June 11, 2024.
He said he found himself inside what appeared to be a sack or enclosed covering, alongside another person who was dead.
He said when he regained consciousness, he managed to get out and later found a vehicle that transported him.
Duma also claimed that part of his clothing was covered in blood, which he believes belonged to the person who was inside the sack with him.
He told the committee that he did not go to hospital to have his head or brain examined, although he received medical treatment for other problems involving his ear and head.
He said after returning home, he told his mother and uncles what happened, but they advised him to remain silent.
Duma said he later travelled to South Africa as his family advised him to leave because the incident involved a former Vice-President and he allegedly been shot without being injured.
He said said he eventually returned to Malawi after learning that the committee is investigating the crash.
Duma credited a person he identified as Discovery with encouraging him to return and give evidence, while parliamentary staff also assured him of his safety.
He said he is not afraid to testify and is ready to accompany the committee to the crash site if required.
During questioning, Duma also acknowledged that he had a mobile phone at the time of the incident but said he did not call anyone to report what he was seeing.
He explained that he did not know exactly what was happening and feared that people might not believe him.
Duma was also unable to provide the phone number he used in 2024, saying he had gone through difficult circumstances and could no longer remember it.
He said he might be able to obtain the number from the person with whom he communicated while arranging to buy the motorcycle in Ekwendeni.
Duma told the committee that he had been involved in business from 2014 until 2024, selling foodstuffs such as beans and rice as well as motorcycles.
He said he also worked as a teacher at Kauma Private School in 2023 while continuing his business activities.
The committee also questioned him about his journey to South Africa in late October 2024.
Duma said he stayed there for nearly two months and later returned to Malawi by bus.
Meanwhile, committee member Felix Njawala asked the committee to consider recalling another witness who previously claimed to have seen the aircraft stop in mid-air for several minutes.
Njawala’s request followed Duma’s testimony that he also saw the aircraft apparently stop in the air.
However, aviation experts who previously appeared before the committee reportedly told it that the aircraft involved in the crash was not designed to remain stationary in mid-air.
Committee chairperson Nyamilandu said the committee will sit and consider Njawala’s proposal.
